NYFF52 REVIEW: THE PRINCESS OF FRANCE
If you have ever wondered what a 70 minute Spanish language lighting fast interpretation of a radio play version and shades of the plot of Love’s Labor Lost spilling into everyday life feels like, well you are in for a treat! For Director Matías Piñeiro has centered his latest piece, THE PRINCESS OF FRANCE, on the Bard’s classic romantic comedy. Set around a theatre troupe’s desire to prepare a radio version of Love, we follow several different characters: Víctor (Julián Larquier Tellarini), his girlfriend Paula (Agustina Muñoz), lover Ana (María Villar), an actress Natalia (Romina Paula), and several other not quite notable characters. Everyone seems to want Víctor and the time on screen is split up between rapid fire sequences with them, recordings of the plays, and a very dull futball game that ends abruptly. Because why not?
The fact that The Princess of France want to pull off so much in such a short amount of time is admirable, but it fails miserably at each turn. The film’s dialogue is rapid fire, too rapid fire, and even for someone who’s accustomed to seeing Spanish films with subtitles (which I am), it was often impossible to distinguish exactly what was going on. You also should have a VERY clear idea of the exact plot of Love’s Labor Lost, because it’s as if the film has dropped you into Act 4 without seeing Acts 1-3. Perhaps other will enjoy the absurdity of this experiment, but I sadly did not. Where farcical comedy could have reigned supreme (as it does in all of the Bard’s comedies), here only frustration grows. And grows. And grows. Save yourself and simply read the classic comedy. It’s a wonderful read, and though it will take you more than 70 minutes to do so, you will have much more to account for at the end. Guaranteed.
VERDICT: SKIP IT
Written and Directed by Matías Piñeiro Starring Julián Larquier Tellarini, Agustina Muñoz, María Villar Romina Paula. CONTENT ADVISORY: Adult Situations, Adult Langage, Brief Nudity
BOTTOM LINE: I can't recommend THE PRINCESS OF FRANCE on any level. Sadly, an all around disappointment, unless you're looking for a nice 70 minute nap.